1st One shows ‘elevated,’ ‘evolved’ version in 4th anniversary fan con

“2024 will be the birth of a brand new 1st One.”

These were the words of Ace, leader of rising P-pop boy group 1st One, when asked about their plans for this year during a sit-down interview with republicasia in January.

Witnessing the celebration of their fourth anniversary, their fans, collectively known as For One, are certain that the P-pop group is on track with their goal.

1st One—composed of Ace, Alpha, Max, J, Joker, and Jayson—marked their fourth anniversary as a group with a fan concert held at the Music Museum in San Juan on Saturday, August 3.

Titled “0-6-4-1: ELEVATE AND EVOLVE,” the event was dedicated to 1st One and For One, highlighting how they have grown since their formation in 2020. “0-6” referred to the six-member boy group, while “4-1” meant For One.

The P-pop group, clad in red and black ensembles, kicked off the fan concert with a passionate performance of their 2022 single “Shout Out,” eliciting loud cheers from the excited crowd.

“Tonight, we will elevate and evolve our game,” said Ace. 

But the night was not just about group performances. As promised, the fan concert delivered exciting activities and surprises that hype the crowd and made Saturday night more memorable for everyone.

Interactive games

Following the “Shout Out” performance, 1st One enthusiastically interacted with For One through a game called “1ST 2 WIN.” Several fans were selected through their ticket numbers and went up to the stage to play the game with their favorite idols. 

“1ST 2 WIN” tasked the boy group and the fans to form two teams with eight members each and dance to a song flashed on the LED screen. 

The players lined up and faced backward as the first members of their teams learned the song’s dance moves from the dance master. The choreography was passed on from the first player to another until it reached the last member, who would guess the right moves.

They danced to a variety of songs for the game, from the popular K-pop song “Gangnam Style” to the nursery rhyme “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”

The second game was called “Hol3 in ONE,” where players copied the image or pose shown on the screen.

The last game and the crowd’s favorite was the “Battle Up!” where players faced each other off by dancing to a song based on the selected category on the screen. 

“Battle Up!” heated the stage as members of other P-pop groups—including ECLYPSE and DIONE—and the dance community joined forces to showcase their dancing prowess. The audience was on the edge of their seats, some even standing up to cheer.

“Hanggang bukas tayo rito, 6 a.m.,” said Max, as players continued to battle one another with their fierce dance moves.

Winners brought home prizes and took photos with 1st One.

Solo stages

Each 1st One member prepared a solo performance, with Ace going up on stage first to serenade the crowd with his single “Ikaw Pa Rin.”

The song was first released in 2017 under his real name, Val John, and produced under Star Music. Interestingly, Ace last performed the song at the Music Museum.

He revealed that two individuals choreographed “Ikaw Pa Rin:” One was their choreographer for “Problem Child,” while the other was 1st One’s main dancer and rapper Alpha.

Joker followed Ace’s performance with his sultry cover of “Take You Down” by Chris Brown. The lead vocalist spiced up his performance by dancing with a fan onstage.

Alpha, meanwhile, did a cover of “3D” by BTS’ Jung Kook feat. Jack Harlow—but with a twist. As the main rapper of the group, Alpha incorporated Tagalog rap lyrics in the popular pop song.

J also lit the stage on fire and wrecked For One’s bias list with his rap rendition of Flow G’s “Praning.” He made sure to unleash his inner swagger which gave the audience chills.

Jayson, a known Taylor Swift fan, brought out the Swiftie in him when he performed “Anti-Hero.”

“It’s like a dream come true kasi first solo ko tapos Taylor Swift [song] pa. Actually, dati ko pa dine-dream na makapag-perform ng Taylor Swift song and I think this is a big opportunity,” the vocalist said.

The solo stages ended with Max’s heartfelt yet powerful performance of “Sa Kabilang Buhay” by Bandang Lapis.

“Parang wala na akong sariling feelings,” the main vocalist said in jest. “Parang ang saya-saya ko [kanina] sabi ko pa, ‘Oh face off! Battle up! Battle Up!’ ngayon biglang, ‘Sa kabilang buhay.’”

1st One then thanked the audience for appreciating their solo performances.

Upcoming single, new group greeting

Just when the crowd thought the fan concert ended with the “Turn Up” performance, 1st One went back to the stage with another surprise: their forthcoming song titled “Paalam Na.”

The boy group performed the bop yet heartbreaking single, in which part of the lyrics goes: “Paalam na sa’ting dalawa / Paalam na minahal kita.”

The song’s release date is yet to be announced, but Max said they would drop it “very, very soon.”

While this might be a love song to some, “Paalam Na” could also be 1st One’s farewell to their previous eras, with the introduction of their new group greeting as part of their rebranding.

From “Started at the end, going up to be first,” the boy group will now introduce themselves using the greeting, “One of one, go beyond, we are 1st One!”

“Thank you for the four years that you stuck with us, altogether we started at the end, and we went up to be first, the first-ever 1st One, the best that we can be. But it’s just the beginning. Because with every evolution, there will always be a new era,” said Ace.

“To start a new era, I think it’s time to be ‘One of One—’” added Ace, as the other five members responded in chorus, “‘Go beyond, we are 1st One!’”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, 1st One expressed gratitude to everyone who attended their fourth anniversary fan concert and said, “The energy was overflowing – with TEXTURE!!!”

“Salamat sa mainit at umaapaw na suporta sa amin,” they added, along with a group photo with For One.